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Old 12-03-2007, 01:06 PM
 
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..does a 7 year old have to sit at the back (ofcourse, with fastened seat belts) or is it lawful to have him/her to sit next to the driver seat?
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Old 12-03-2007, 02:01 PM
 
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Virginia is one of few states that appropriately requires that children under eight not only ride in the rear of a car, but in a carseat or booster seat until they are "8 and 80"... 8 years old and 80 pounds. So legally, a 7 year old must be in a booster in the back seat.

State Car Seat Laws - Baby Car Seat Laws - Child Safety Seat and Seatbelt Laws By State
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Old 12-03-2007, 03:03 PM
 
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... unless you have a truck, and in that case I assume the booster seat laws still apply for the front seat. I once thought I might have to drive my husband's pickup with my baby and I called the police to check - luckily I didn't have to, whew.
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Old 01-14-2009, 11:19 PM
 
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can my two year old be in a booster seat or does he have to be in a car seat. his wight 30 and hight 2 foot
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Old 01-14-2009, 11:24 PM
 
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can my two year old be in a booster seat or does he have to be in a car seat. his wight 30 and hight 2 foot
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Old 01-15-2009, 05:47 AM
 
Location: Suburbia
8,792 posts, read 15,228,972 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by waterbabies View Post
Virginia is one of few states that appropriately requires that children under eight not only ride in the rear of a car, but in a carseat or booster seat until they are "8 and 80"... 8 years old and 80 pounds. So legally, a 7 year old must be in a booster in the back seat.

State Car Seat Laws - Baby Car Seat Laws - Child Safety Seat and Seatbelt Laws By State
This is also how I understand it, but I look at my son who is 8 1/2 and weighs about 55 lbs. and wonder how long it will take him to reach 80 lbs. Will I have a 5th grader sitting in a booster seat?
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Old 01-15-2009, 09:38 AM
k8p
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by twin31392 View Post
can my two year old be in a booster seat or does he have to be in a car seat. his wight 30 and hight 2 foot
Your 2 year old should be in a carseat at this height and weight. No question about it.
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Old 01-15-2009, 09:52 AM
 
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My very tiny 6 year old will be going to her wedding in a booster seat! At 34lbs she may never reach 80lbs

With the car seats that are out there that can take 60+ lbs, there is no two year that should be in a booster. I think if they can't open a car door, climb in and hook them selves up properly...they should stay in a car seat, not a booster. Of course some two year olds can do that....shouldn't but could. And there are some 5 year olds that can't. General safety rule...Keep them in the car seat as long as possible.
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Old 01-15-2009, 09:58 AM
 
Location: Chambersburg, PA
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I just came across this forum, and I thought that I would add my $.02.

I am a Certified Car Seat Technician, and have been one for 3 years. While the laws in all the states are different, the general concensus is that children should be in a 5-point harness until they outgrow it. That means that if your CSS (Child Safety Seat) has a maximum weight of 40 lbs, and your child is 39 lbs, they should still be in that CSS. Once your child reaches the maximum weight or height (which is different for different seats), then you can move them up to a booster seat, as long as they are mature enough to sit in it and not play with the shoulder belt. As a "general" rule, most kids are ready for a booster seat at about age 4, provided they've outgrown their 5-point harness. My son, who is 5 years old, weighs 53 lbs, and is 49 in tall, is in a booster seat. His little sister, who just turned 4, is 35 lbs, and 40.5 in tall. She is still in a 5-point harness (her second one since she's tall) and will be until she outgrows it, probably in a year or so.

As for having a 7 year old in the front seat, the Federal Government recommends that all children under the age of 12 be in the back seat. Of course, if you have a pick-up or are playing taxi for the soccer team, and you have to put a child younger than 12 in the front seat, we recommend that you put the biggest and heaviest child in the front seat, and slide the seat back as far as it will go.

In regards to having a 5th or 6th grader in a booster seat, depending on how small he is, it might happen. A child should be in a booster seat until he is big enough to sit in the seat with his back against the back of the seat, with his knees bent over the edge of the seat, and the lap and shoulder belt fitting him properly. If he can't bend his knees over the edge of the seat, then he'll slide down so that he can, and the shoulder belt will cut into his neck, which could result in catastrophic injuries should you be involved in a collision.

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions for me, just send me a message and I'll respond as soon as I can.
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Old 01-15-2009, 10:16 AM
 
1,843 posts, read 3,691,079 times
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Great post! Thanks for the "official" information. We spent many years in Europe, and many countries there are way ahead of us in safety. Wasn't uncommen for Americans to get tickets for having their kids under 12 in the front seat. Boosters weren't readily available in the states, but very common over there. The big problem here is the rules vary state to state...8/80 should be in every state, but to my knowledge it isn't..yet.
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